All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer is a book I’ve been hearing about for ages that everyone raves about. So when I saw it in a second-hand bookstore recently, I just had to grab it. My expectations were huge going in to read this book and I have to say that it mostly lived up to all the hype.
Set during World War II it tells the story of a young, blind French girl named Marie-Laure who must navigate war-torn France and all its dangers without being able to see them. Her father works at the Museum of Natural History in Paris and helps Marie-Laure find her way around by carving a replica of the city streets for her to memorise. Then there is Werner, a remarkably gifted German orphan whose talents are recognised and utilised by the Hitler Youth. He can build and repair radios and has a thirst for learning. They are on different sides of a conflict which will have a deep personal cost for them both.
It’s a relatively simple story told mostly from Marie-Laure and Werner’s points-of-view, starting before the war and finishing after. The story weaves together a cursed diamond, a Nazi jewel hunter, the natural world, the wonders of the radio, the French resistance, family, the brutality of war, disability and loss.
The writing is stunning and I can see why Anthony Doerr won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for this novel. The language is just beautiful and more than anything the writing is what I loved most about this novel. Its short chapters (sometimes only a couple of pages long) is something that I usually see in a thriller, not historical fiction, and this distracted me sometimes as it cut from character to character.
The book was a bit slow for me at first but then got better and better as it went along. This was very much a piece of finely crafted literature. I felt like I was reading a book which will one day be referred to as a classic–it’s probably already treated that way. I can see why it took the author ten years to write this. I’m sure he agonised over every single sentence. Such as: “The Pyrenees gleam. A pitted moon stands on their crests as if impaled.”
As much as I enjoyed this book, I liked The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah better. Also set in France during World War II, I connected more with the characters in this book than I did with the characters in All the Light We Cannot See. I think that sometimes I struggle with prize winning fiction because often they are more about the method of writing than the actual story. I could see the author’s hand in everything and for me that got in the way of the story and truly feeling for the characters. But as a feat of literary achievement, All the Light We Cannot See is truly magnificent.
Verdict: Read this stunning historical fiction read if you want to see what all the fuss is about.
Have you read All the Light We Cannot See? What did you think ?
I loved this book too ! The writing is so beautiful 😍 I was mesmerized with every chapter
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That’s great that you loved it!
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Interesting review – I tried to start reading this on Kindle but I had to put it down – I think I need to read it in physical book form so i can flick back on forth if I get confused at dates or characters! Haha.
Totally understand the feeling you describe about prize-winning fiction.
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The structure is a bit confusing at first so I can see why you might have struggled 😁. It did get better as it went along.
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I loved this book – one of my all times best reads.
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I love this book too! I was gripping it all the way through the end. It was beautiful ❤
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The ending was so emotional.
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I galloped through the book, and I need to reread it and savor it more this time. I do remember the writing being exquisite.
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Glad you loved it.
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I loved this books, it was my first introduction to the historical fiction genre and I couldn’t have picked a better one! 🙂
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That’s great! We you read more historical fiction?
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100%! I have The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah on my radar next!!
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Yay!! I hope you enjoy it. 😁
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Yes!!! I read this one for the first time myself just recently (my own review is coming soon), mostly to see what the fuss is all about – it ended up on my list because it was rated so highly in the Dymocks 101. I think we had much the same reaction; the writing is beautiful, and it’s certainly a big literary accomplishment, but I don’t think it was the best all-round historical novel I’ve ever read. Love hearing your thoughts, and seeing (once again) how in sync we are as readers 😉
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That’s great to hear! Can’t wait to see your review 😁.
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